Into the Unknown
by malachite157
Summary: When things goes awry at Phoebe and Cole's wedding, tensions run high between the sisters, particularly Piper who is less than pleased with the baby's newest powers.
1. Default Chapter

**Into the Unknown**

Part One

**By: **Sapphire (aka Malachite157)

_**Writer's Note**: I've been mulling over this fic for so long now. I have written more to it than you see here but due to my impatience I've decided to post it up in parts. This is part one and as soon as my writer's block for this passes, I'll finish and submit part two._

* * *

**Chapter 1** - Changes

Phoebe giggled as Cole came up behind her and started tickling her.

"Oh, you! Stop that!" she laughed and turned around. He grinned down at her and she sighed happily.

"You know, you really shouldn't be here the night before the wedding. You should be at that new penthouse you secured, having a bachelor's party," she told him in a husky voice.

He looked away thoughtfully. "Hmm. Party with the guys, or stay here with my lovely bride to be. What a choice."

She pushed him away lightly with a chuckle. "You're going to be seeing me every day for the rest of your life! Enjoy your last night of freedom," she said.

"All right, if you insist. It is a nice penthouse. When are we going to move in there? You know it's got an extra room for a baby..."

Phoebe's smile faded somewhat and she sighed. "Cole, I told you I'd think about it."

He wrapped his arms around her from behind again, and snuggled against her neck. "But it's so crowded here. And you know Piper's planning on having kids, too."

"Mmm. I know. But it's a big change. I've been here with my sisters for so long. What if they need me?"

"Well you'll be just a shimmer away."

She turned around and faced him with an inquiring look. "Or an orb away," he added.

"We're gonna have to talk about your having powers after the baby's born, you know," Phoebe said earnestly.

Cole grumbled and let go of her. "Yeah, yeah, well, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

He headed for the door but paused as he reached it, and turned and looked at her. "Can't wait to see you in that white dress."

Her face lit up again with a bright smile. "Can't wait to see you in a handsome suit."

He winked at her, and left the room. As soon as the door shut, Phoebe sank down onto her bed with a quivering sigh. Putting up this facade of relaxed happiness was draining. In truth, she was extremely nervous. It wasn't that she didn't want to marry Cole, it was just happening very quickly, and she was anxious. She had reason to be anxious. So many things could go wrong at a magical wedding. One just had to look at poor Leo and Piper.

But they got it right, eventually. And now they were happy. She could have that too.

There was a knock at the door and she looked up. "Come in."

The door opened and Piper stepped inside with a mug of tea. "Hey there. I saw Cole leaving. Is he off to have a bachelor's party?"

Phoebe grinned slightly. "Yeah, after I chased him away!"

Piper laughed lightly and handed Phoebe the mug. "It's chamomile. Good to calm the nerves."

Phoebe took it with a nod. "I'm that obvious, huh?"

Piper sat down next to her on the bed. "Call it sister intuition. And experience. I remember how nervous I was on my wedding day...s."

Phoebe gave Piper a sideways glance. "See? That's what I'm afraid of. That our first attempt at marriage will be spoiled by something or other. As it is the Elders have their gowns in a knot at my marrying an ex-demon. Who is kinda a half-demon now, only not quite." She frowned. "What exactly IS Cole, in terms of magic?"

Piper shrugged. "A human with black market demonic powers. It's a new one on me."

At that moment, Paige entered the room. Phoebe had hardly seen her sister all day.

"Your dress is in the attic, under a plastic cover so it doesn't get dusty," Paige informed her with a smile. It may have been forced, but Phoebe knew Paige meant well.

"Oh! Great! Let's go see it, Piper! And thank you, Paige."

Paige nodded once with a tight-lipped smile.

Piper and Phoebe left the room and followed Paige to the attic. Phoebe came up to her dress and removed the plastic cover. She took it off the railing and held it up against her. "Perfect."

"You're going to look beautiful, tomorrow, honey," Piper said.

"It is lovely, isn't it?" Phoebe said, glancing up at both her sisters.

"Good pick," Paige commented.

Phoebe put it back on the railing and Piper helped her re-cover it.

"You're gonna have a big day tomorrow. Perhaps you should get an early night?" Paige suggested.

Phoebe leant into Piper, who cuddled her. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"Where's Cole?"

"At the penthouse, having a bachelor party, I hope," Phoebe answered Paige. Paige withheld the comment that he didn't have many friends to have a party with. She had to be nice to Phoebe. Especially over the next few days.

"Oh I'm sure he will," Piper said. "I figured you'd kick him out eventually, and asked Leo to set some plans in motion."

Phoebe looked at her sister with surprise in her eyes. "Really, now?"

Piper just grinned.

* * *

When he saw that nobody was in the parking lot, Cole was tempted to shimmer up to his apartment. Yet, he knew that doing so would further prove Phoebe's point of relying too heavily on his demonic powers. Powers which, if Phoebe's sisters had their way, would be extricated as soon as his son was born.

So, grudgingly, he took the elevator, but halfway up, he remembered something.

Abe.

The blasted demon had been impossible to locate thus far, but through some sneaking around, Cole had managed to find out where he lived. This information was gained by means of a Demon Directory, of sorts. A book of telephone numbers and addresses of demon habitations. He used to have one, and had managed to sneak one out of the Underworld, when no one was looking. It'd be extremely handy for the Charmed Ones, only he was reluctant to show it to them, because then they'd know he'd popped down under, and that never impressed them. Especially Paige.

The elevator reached the penthouse with a cheerful 'ding' and the doors opened. He entered the spacious, luxury apartment and headed straight for the safe. The already partially-furnished penthouse was as good as his, but he had yet to move into it with Phoebe. He had to wait for her to come around to the idea. He couldn't imagine himself living in the cramped Halliwell Manor with Paige's scolding glare on him for the rest of his life. It'd drive him nuts!

He opened the safe and took out the directory. He located Abe's address. For a brief moment he debated on whether to bring an athame or not, but then figured that he could just toast Abe with a fireball.

He shimmered directly into the Collector demon's living room. It was dark and unkempt. Cole grimaced. There was a horrible smell in the air.

He took a few tentative steps forward, listening out for the slightest noise. His eyes wandered across the room, until he spotted some scorch marks on the wall. He turned the corner and saw, in the passageway leading off from the living room to the front door, a pile of ash.

"Abe?" he barely spoke.

A haunting, moaning wind blew outside and long shadows from the swaying trees leering into the window, flickered across the grey pile.

Cole shrugged his shoulders. "Guess someone beat me to it!" He turned and gave the surrounding area one last glance, and then shimmered away.

When he returned to the penthouse, he immediately heard a knock at the door.

"Cole? You in there?" came a voice.

Cole frowned and walked over to the door. He had barely opened it when Darryl, Leo and none other than Phoebe's father walked in.

"Heeeey, Cole!" Darryl said cheerfully as he patted Cole on the shoulder. He was carrying a few beers, as was Leo, who smiled politely. Victor gave Cole a hearty slap on the back as he too entered. Cole blinked.

"Did Phoebe set you all up to this?" he asked.

"Actually, Piper did," Leo informed him as he put the beers down on the table. "Gee, nice place!"

"Good old Piper," Cole said softly. She'd been pretty accepting and welcoming of him, now that he thought about it.

"We thought we'd cheer you up your last night before you take the long walk," Darryl told him with a twinkle in his eye.

"Well, I"

"Don't you worry about it. We've brought some video entertainment, some drinks and some pretzels!" Victor said.

"Pretzels?" Cole remarked curiously.

Leo grinned. "Actually, I'm the pretzel fan, but they're a really nice brand!"

Before he knew it, Cole was caught up in an unexpected little party, and all thoughts of Abe disappeared from his mind.

* * *

**The following day: Morning**

Paige watched as Phoebe nervously applied some make-up to her face. Paige had given her some face cream the night before, and Phoebe had already commented on how soft her face felt.

"The make-up glides on so easily, but I can't seem to keep my hands from trembling!" Phoebe laughed falsely.

Paige put a hand on her shoulder. "You look fine. Do you want me to do your eyes?"

"Would you please? I'm scared I'll poke them, and then they'll water and my mascara will run."

"Only you haven't put mascara on, yet," Paige pointed out.

Phoebe paled. "Oh yes, I haven't. Ooh! We're going to run out of time!"

Paige scoffed. "You've got another hour before we have to leave. Relax!"

"But you know how long it takes to get into that dress!" Phoebe cried.

"Yes, about three minutes, now keep still, and hand me your eyeliner..."

Piper straightened Leo's tie for him. Her hand movements were fluid and seemingly relaxed, but Leo could see the hint of worry on her face.

"Honey, are you okay?" he asked.

"Hmm?" she hummed and looked up at him. "Oh, I'm fine," she said with a nod.

"Piper.."

She finished the tie and stepped back with a little sigh. "Well, truth be told, I am a little nervous for Phoebe. I know how magical weddings can be, especially if you have as many enemies as Phoebe and Cole have."

Leo nodded. "Yeah, I know what you mean. A lot can go wrong, but then, there are going to be a lot of powerful magical beings there to prevent that."

"Oh, the pressure!" Piper exclaimed good-humoredly.

Leo smiled and gave her a little hug. "Don't worry. You just keep an eye out for any suspicious looking people in the audience. At least you can freeze everyone if things go awry."

"Yeah, heaven knows how handy my freezing power has been," she commented dryly.

"You should check on Cole. See how he's doing," she told her husband.

"Okay. You sure you'll be all right?"

"I'm sure," Piper replied and patted his arm lightly. Leo orbed out and Piper headed for Phoebe's room.

When she got there, she saw Phoebe gazing into the mirror. "You're so good at make-up application, Paige..." she was murmuring.

She turned with Paige to see Piper walk in. "Hey!" Phoebe chirped.

"How're you doing?" Piper asked cheerfully.

Phoebe rose to her full height and glanced at Paige. "Thanks to Paige's help, a lot better. Now I need to get into the dress!"

"The highlight of the morning, until the actual ceremony, that is," Piper said. "I'll go get the dress."

"Be careful with it!" Phoebe called after as she turned to leave.

"I will!" Piper called back, concealing any irritation at Phoebe's fussing.

Phoebe let out a trembling sigh. "I hope Cole's not as useless as I am right now."

Paige wrapped her arms around her and squeezed lightly. "Stop worrying! Be excited, happy, gay!"

Phoebe gave her a sideways glance.

"You know what I mean!" Paige laughed.

A moment later, Piper came back in with the dress draped over her one arm.

"Time to doll you up!" she said.

Phoebe was unable to suppress a small squeal of glee.

* * *

The Collector demon used his shape-shifting power to make himself look like one of the guests. Said guest was knocked unconscious as he walked towards the chapel and thrown into the bushes lining the parking lot.

Patting his hands together, Abe, or 'James' as he was now known, ambled out of the parking lot and began the short walk to the chapel where he knew Belthazar was going to be. He had taken the bait well. Abe had vanquished a fellow demon in his apartment and left the ash pile there, to confuse Belthazar and make him think that was actually a dead Abe piled on the floor.

Abe's real goal was to trash the happiest day of Belthazar's life, kill his bride, and then him. He was quite aware he might die in the attempt, but he didn't mind. As long as he got his revenge. It's not like he had much of a life, anyway. He'd been kicked out of his clan, and Byron had been vanquished, so the invitation to join Byron's clan had been vanquished with him. Abe was an unwanted loner, all because of Belthazar.

He joined the stream of guests entering the chapel, and tried to look inconspicuous.

Cole adjusted his tie a little, and took a deep breath. He'd lived a century but in all his long life, he had never felt so apprehensive as he did this day. He was ecstatic to be marrying Phoebe, but he was nervous, too. Not at the prospect of marriage, but about things that could go wrong. He had a lot of history with demons, as did Phoebe, and any one of them could decide to rear their ugly heads today, in order to stop the official union of two powerful beings, who together would raise another mighty being on the side of good. Yup, this was a great time to try and stop all that. And with so many guests as hostages, well... The attacking demon would have plenty of bargaining chips.

He tried to force such thoughts from his head. Today was meant to be a happy day. The happiest day of his life. He couldn't worry constantly about what _might_ go wrong. He had to think positive. Phoebe would want him to.

"Time to get up there, Cole. Phoebe's limo has arrived," Darryl informed him, inclining his head towards the altar.

"Right," Coe breathed and made his way to the altar, unaware of the one guest in the pews who was glaring at him.

Phoebe was ushered to a back room and there she hyperventilated as quietly as she could.

"Calm down, sweetie! We're going to be right behind you," Piper soothed.

"The ring bearer..."

"Is Merryl's daughter. She's even rehearsed bringing the ring. She's a very capable little lady. Don't worry," Piper assured her.

"Oh yes, Suzy. She's so sweet. I wonder if she's nervous, too," Phoebe said, her voice trembling.

Paige walked into the room. "They're ready," she told them.

"Ohhhh, ohhh..." Phoebe fanned herself with her hand.

Piper took her hand and led her to the doors that would open up to the aisle. "Calm down, smile, and look happy for Cole! You're going to scare him looking like you do right now!"

"What, is my make-up smudged!"

"No! You just look so terrified!" Piper laughed.

Phoebe laughed a little with her. Paige opened the door, and the ceremony began.

The organ started to play, the guests rose to their feet and Cole turned to see Phoebe begin her slow walk up the aisle. She looked breathtaking. He smiled and felt his heart pound in his chest. It sounded so loud in his ears, he wondered if anyone else could hear it.

It seemed to take an age for her to reach him, but in reality, it only took a minute. She stepped gracefully up the three stairs that led to the altar, and then turned to face him. Her thin veil could not hide the joy an anxiousness on her face, and Cole flashed her a reassuring smile. The music stopped, the priest stepped forward, and began. "Dearly beloved..."

Abe had only seen weddings on television. Christian wedding, anyway. Demonic weddings were rather different. But he knew there was a line he had to wait for, before he should attack. Something about, 'if anyone disagrees'... It'd be a stylish way to destroy the wedding.

The priest droned on, and Abe was getting increasingly impatient. Finally, the line arrived.

"If there is anyone here who objects to this"

Piper felt a sudden, overwhelming urge to freeze everything, and an unknown force grabbed her hands and jerked them upwards. She felt the familiar surge of power she experienced whenever she blew up or froze things. And suddenly, everything _was_ frozen.

It took Phoebe a couple of seconds to realize that her fiancé, the priest and almost everyone else was still.

"Piper!" she cried and turned on her heels to face her sister, who was standing in the aisle, bewildered.

"Why did you freeze everyone? I don't see any demons!"

"I...I didn't. Well, I did, but I didn't intend to..." she stammered.

"Wait," Paige interrupted. "Look over there!"

The three of them looked to where Paige was pointing, to see James with his hand in the air, a half-formed fireball suspended in his palm.

"Oh my gosh! James is a demon?" Phoebe cried.

"No way! Piper, how'd you know?" Paige asked as she walked over to the frozen man.

"I-I didn't! I swear, it was like something forced me to use my powers andPhoebe!"

Phoebe glanced down at her stomach and saw a strange red light emit from it and charge towards James. Paige gasped and stepped away from him, just as the beam of light hit him. Suddenly, he morphed into another man, and unfroze.

"Huh?" the strange man blurted and then stared at the witches, who stared back.

"It's Abe! A demon!" Phoebe exclaimed.

"Oh!" Piper tried to freeze him again, but it didn't work.

"Can't freeze me twice little witchie!" he snarled and tossed a fireball in her direction. A sudden burst of orange light came forth from Phoebe's midsection. It absorbed the fireball and channeled towards Abe. The demon barely uttered 'uh oh' before he was destroyed in a blaze of fire that quickly faded and sputtered out.

The three of them blinked at the pile of ash on the seat. Piper turned to Phoebe. "Your baby saved me."

Phoebe nodded slowly, mouth slightly agape. "Uh huh..."

"I'll...go clean this up," Paige said, frowning. She placed her hands over the pile and orbed it away.

Phoebe stood stock still and stared across the chapel at Piper. "P...Piper..."

"Yeah?"

"I think my baby's got my power of premonition."

"Yeah. And managed to tap into MY powers," she added, her voice expressing her concern and dislike of this new development.

"Well, we can talk about that later. We have a wedding to finish," Paige reminded them.

"Right, yes," Piper agreed and went back to her spot, her mind a whir of fears and thoughts. How had that child managed to tap into her powers like that? Or did it simply, in some vague way, transfer the premonition to her? While she had no control over her freezing everyone, it did feel somewhat instinctive. Maybe the child communicated to her, and she just reacted... Somehow, she felt that was the most logical explanation. It wasn't entirely her, but it wasn't entirely him, either, that did the freezing. It was both.

She chewed on those thoughts for a bit, before being woken out of her daze by Paige clearing her throat. "Um, Piper, you're going to have to unfreeze everyone."

"Oh, yeah"

"But before you do, I think I should mention that we're going to have to find the real James after this, if he's still alive."

Eerily on cue, James staggered into the room, rubbing the back of his head. Piper quickly unfroze everyone.

"union, speak now or forever hold your peace," the priest continued. Phoebe faced Cole again, who smiled down at her, blissfully unaware of the events of the last few minutes. She forced a smile back on her face, accepting that she'd have to tell him later.

Paige rushed over to James as unobtrusively as possible. "Oh, James! What happened to you?" she whispered, acting as if she had no clue.

"I dunno, some guy just whacked me on the head. He didn't even steal anything! I don't know why he did it."

Paige ushered him to a seat. "Tell me about it later. The priest is just about to finish the ceremony," she spoke softly.

She looked up to see Cole slip the ring on Phoebe's finger, with Suzy standing by. The little girl must have skipped up there!

"By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife," the priest finished. Phoebe sighed in relief.

"You may kiss the bride."

Cole lifted Phoebe's veil and kissed her. The guests 'awwed' and clapped, while Paige and Piper clapped a little less zealously. Both were on edge.

As Cole pulled out of the kiss, he whispered. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"I just created one," she replied softly. Cole gave her a curious look. "I'll tell you later," she said through her teeth, grinning falsely.

He linked his arm with hers and they proceeded down the aisle, while the children of the guests threw confetti at them eagerly, obviously enjoying their moment.

Piper and Paige met up and followed everyone to the garden outside the chapel, where there were tables of eats, and the wedding cake.

"What happened back there, Piper?" Paige said privately to her.

Piper paused a little before answering. "I'm not entirely sure, but I have a hunch..."

* * *

**Same day: Late afternoon: **

Piper sighed heavily as she walked into the Manor, her family following her in. She walked straight to the living room and put her bag down on the table. She turned around and put her hands on her hips, and waited for Phoebe and Cole to stop kissing.

"Ahem..."

Phoebe pulled away and looked at her sister. Paige and Leo walked over to Piper and stood behind her.

"Right, what's this about a demon attacking during the wedding?" Leo asked.

"Yeah, you were pretty vague," Cole said as he gazed down at his new wife.

Phoebe sighed. "Abe, who you were _supposed_ to vanquish..."

"I said I was sorry. How else would you interpret an ash heap in an empty demon's home?" Cole defended.

Phoebe continued. "Attacked, during the wedding. But the reason you guys never saw this, is the same reason Piper is glaring at me right now."

"Yup," Piper confirmed.

Cole and Leo both frowned. "Elaborate," Cole said.

"Allow me," Piper cut in. "Junior here," she said, pointing at Phoebe's tummy. "Decided to tap into my powers, and forced me to freeze everyone. Then Paige spotted who we thought was James at the time, holding a fireball. Then junior decided to pull another stunt, and channel some kind or red beam into James, which revealed him to be the infamous Abe. Abe attacked, junior did his force field thingie, and Abe was vanquished. Now, I'm fine with the whole demon being discreetly vanquished at the wedding thing, but what I am not okay with, is your son's ability to tap into MY powers!"

"Wait, so, you had not control?" Cole asked.

"No control. It just felt like this overwhelming instinctive desire to freeze, and my hands jerked up, and everything froze. The thing is, Abe had only just stood up - his fireball wasn't even fully formed, yet. It was like your baby saw it coming."

"There's a strong chance he did," Leo said. All eyes were on him. "If it really felt instinctive, Piper, then I think I know what happened."

"Oh? Well tell me then, 'cause I'd _love _to know," Piper said, her voice edging on being furious.

"It's possible that Phoebe's son had inherited her power of premonition and taken it once step further. Telepathic transference."

"Telepathic _what_?" Paige uttered.

Leo shifted on his feet, not enjoying this kind of limelight. "It's a very rare power. It's when a being can have very short-hand premonitions, and transfer them to another magical being. It's a defensive tactic, for when said being is unable to fight. Basically, the child saw Abe's attack just before it happened, and transferred the premonition to Piper, and she reacted. Only it's instantaneous, so it's almost subconscious, and her reaction becomes almost instinctive."

"Wow. That's some power," Paige commented.

"So wait, you mean this little guy can see a premonition, like, a few seconds before it happens? So, in effect, he can see who is knocking on the door before they come in? That's a short-hand premonition, right?" Phoebe asked.

Leo nodded. "Correct."

Cole looked at Phoebe's tummy and grinned. "That's my boy!"

Piper folded her arms crossly. "Well it didn't feel nice having my arms jolt like that."

"Piper, it's only because you were caught off-guard. Surely you had a small window of time before you reacted?" Leo asked.

Piper looked at the floor, thoughtfully. "Yeah, it kinda took a second to happen. I was almost watching my hands move in slow-motion. It was like an overwhelming desire to just freeze everything."

"It makes sense, although it's a little creepy," Paige commented.

"But it's a defense tactic, as you say, and my child is far from defenseless," Phoebe pointed out.

"Yeah, but he couldn't just toast the guy in front of everyone. Magic would have been exposed," Cole said.

"How could he possibly know all that! Worrying about exposure!" Phoebe cried.

Leo shrugged. "He's a very magical being. All magical being have had to mask their powers for thousands of years. I suppose it's almost second nature now to protect our identity. Perhaps our children are evolving and being born already understanding that."

"Veeeery philosophical, Leo," Piper grumbled. "But I gotta tell ya Pheebs, that son of yours has me worried. He has so much power, it's kinda scary."

"Ease up a little on him Piper! He saved your life, remember?" Phoebe reminded her.

"He did?" Cole said.

"Yeah, he deflected a fireball. His force field spread all the way to Piper, from my position at the altar, just to protect her."

"You know we're all going to have to have a family sit-down and discussion about this," Paige said.

"Family discussion about what?" Victor asked as he walked in. "Found a place to park my car."

"Oh, hi dad..." Phoebe said uncertainly, and exchanged glances with her sisters.

"What's with the looks?" he asked.

"You know what, we'll tell you later. Right now, Cole and I have a honeymoon to get to," Phoebe said and gave Piper an adamant look. Piper just tightened her stance.

"It's true, Hawaii is awaiting," Cole said and snuck his arms around Phoebe and drew her into him.

"You're right. Enjoy your honeymoon, and we'll discuss this at a later stage," Piper finally sighed.

"Thanks. See ya," Phoebe said with a weak smile.

"Bye," Paige said and she watched them shimmer away. After that she let out a very long sigh.

"Getting more complicated by the day, isn't it?" Piper remarked.

Victor stared at them, clueless. "Why is everyone so uptight?"

"You'd better sit down," Leo suggested. "We haven't told you all the reasons why Phoebe just married Cole..."

* * *

**1 week later:**

"Ouch. Another vanquish by this kid," a demon called Frank commented. He was looking at a holographic replay of Abe's death over a black marble table. Standing on the other side was the Seer.

"But he was careful how he did it. This child possesses more than power, but great intelligence," she said.

The hologram ended, and Frank glanced across the table at the Seer. "So, how many of these hidden cameras do you have? I mean, I'm not really a moral guy, but you seem to be watching the Halliwels twenty four-seven."

"It is a precautionary measure. I have to make sure that the child is not being too tainted, and I want to monitor the growth of his powers," she informed him.

Frank was a tall brunette with deep green eyes. As far as an upper-level demon with a human mode went, he was quite handsome.

"Yeah... I get that. But, well, I still don't know why..."

"Because I plan on taking the child to the Underworld," the Seer explained and walked over to another table of potions, which she started to fiddle with.

"Ah-hah. Right. Okay, so this baby is toasting upper level demons from the womb. Just how exactly are you planning on taking this child in?"

The Seer turned on him sharply. "You signed a contract whereby you gave your soul to me with the promise of great power in return. This will be your great power. I would not have made this deal with you if I was not certain on how to get it. So stop asking so many questions."

Frank scowled at her. "Okay I'm not big on the signing-one's-soul away thing. But I did it because you promised me exactly that. Forgive my curiosity on how exactly you plan on delivering this power. You did say you'd explain after I signed the contract."

The Seer sighed and her hands fell to her sides in exasperation. "Very well, seeing as you continue to relentlessly persist! I had a vision. I saw the child at seven years of age. He was vulnerable, insecure and undecided. This is the perfect opportunity to take him in. I had a second vision of a woman extending her hand and taking him away. He took it willingly, trusting this woman. The woman was myself, in one of my ulterior forms. A popular choice of mine when I shape-shift. I now know the only way to get to the child is to get him to trust me."

Frank nodded. "I see. But, you saw what he did to Abe. He can"

"Expose evil, yes. Well, I am immune to that power of his. At least I will be for the first twelve years of his life. It takes a long time to fully develop, and while he may be powerful even now, my magic is stronger. He will not discover me."

"A lot of this is speculation," Frank said, his tone of voice a little menacing.

"My visions are never wrong. How long have you been around, Frank?"

Frank straightened up. "Two hundreds years."

"Well I have been around for thousands, so stop questioning me! I plan on making you the boy's chief advisor for when he becomes the new Source. I will remain his Seer, his mother-figure. But you will be his right-hand man, his lieutenant, if you will."

"Oh, so it's secondary power," Frank grumbled.

"It is still power, and greater power than any demon of your pitiful position could ever hope for! You tell me, would you rather be working under or against him, or _with_ him, when he comes into full strength? You have seen just hints of what he is to be!"

Frank chewed on that for a moment, and began to feel uncomfortable under the Seer's intense gaze.

"Very well, I understand. It'll be seven years at least until I get this power. I'd better lie low. Wouldn't want to die before then, seeing as my soul is now owned by a being as evil as you," he said coolly.

"Yes, you'd better. And as for your soul being owned by myself, it too is a precautionary measure. I don't want you betraying me at any point. If you expose me, or try to take matters into your own hands, I promise you...your punishment will be worse than death."

Frank nodded sagely. "Point taken."

"Good, now go. And I'll contact you in another seven years," she said absently as she started to mix potions.

Frank watched her for a moment. "Before I go, Seer, I just want to know... Why, out of all the other, more powerful demons you could have chosen for this task, did you pick me?"

The Seer paused in her work, and looked at him with a wicked, enigmatic smile. "Because I have seen you doing great things, too."

Frank tilted his head and raised his eyebrows. "Hm!" He liked the sound of that.

With that confidence-booster in mind, Frank turned away from the Seer and left her secret hideaway. She continued her work, and busied herself making the longest-brewing but most powerful magic-masking potion there was ever to be.

* * *

Cole had managed to convince Phoebe on their honeymoon to move into the penthouse. She had been in a very good mood the whole week, and he had spoiled her and been as charming as possible to the point where she simply couldn't refuse.

Now their holiday in Hawaii had come to an end, he shimmered her and their luggage back to her room in the Manor.

It was evening and Phoebe was quite tired after making the best of her final day on the island. She'd partaken in a few beach and water sports and had had a long walk with Cole before they left, talking about their son. Both agreed that tomorrow they'd talk to her sisters about his powers and the events of the past few months. Until now, no one had really discussed how they were going to handle having such a powerful magical being in their lives.

Cole put down the heavy suitcase with a weary sigh. Phoebe headed straight for her bed. "Bed!" she said with tired enthusiasm. She kicked off her sandals and flopped onto it.

Cole started unbuttoning his island-style shirt. Phoebe had insisted he buy the thing. It was light blue with pineapples on it. She'd giggled constantly when he first tried it on. 'A memento' she had said! Ah, but he didn't mind all that much. Seeing Phoebe laugh made him happier than anything.

There was a tentative knock on the door. "Hello?" came Paige's voice.

Cole turned and opened the door. Paige stifled a small chuckle when she saw him. "I see you're back. I_ never _ would've guessed it was Hawaii you'd returned from," she teased.

Cole sighed and frowned slightly, but he knew Paige was just being playful, this time. Phoebe pushed past him. "Paige!" she cried and hugged her sister.

"Did you have fun?" Paige asked her as she warmly accepted the embrace.

"Yeah, it was great. I'm just SO tired, now."

"Hmm. I can imagine. Well, Piper's at P3, if you have the energy to see her."

"I think I'll just give her a call. I'm useless, right now," Phoebe replied and then yawned.

Paige nodded with a small smile. "Okay, well, good to see you. Have a nice rest."

She started to turn but stopped when Phoebe called after her. "Wait, Paige, did you get any attacks while we were gone?" she asked earnestly.

"Nope. It was a quiet week, thankfully," Paige said. She hesitated for a second, then turned away. Phoebe couldn't help get the feeling that Paige was holding back on something.

"I'm gonna take a shower," Cole said softly and turned into the room. Phoebe knew she was a little sandy still and should have one herself.

"Ooh, can I come with you?" she asked with a teasing grin.

Cole smiled a little wearily. "Sure. I was counting on it."

"Lemme just call Piper and let her know we're home," Phoebe said. Cole nodded and left her to call her sister.

Phoebe waited as she listened to the dialing sound of her mobile. It rang for a little, and then she heard Piper's voice.

"Hello Piper! We're back..."

* * *

The following day, at breakfast, Piper announced she had waited long enough for a family meeting, and come hell or high waters, they were going to have one later that morning after her doctor's appointment.

Phoebe took it surprisingly well. "Oh that's fine. Cole and I have something to discuss with you, too."

Piper had been expecting a little more resistance considering the meeting was going to focus around her baby's demonic powers, so for a moment she just stared. "Well, uh, okay. We'll have it in the living room at 11:30."

Cole watched her curiously. "A doctor's appointment?"

"Ah, just a regular checkup. Nothing to worry about," Piper dismissed and asked Leo to pass the butter.

"Have you guys got something to tell us?" Phoebe asked.

Leo nodded. "Well, I found out quite a bit about"

Piper squeezed his arm. "What?"

"At the meeting, dear. Now we eat, peacefully," Piper nearly commanded.

A silence settled over the family until Paige finally spoke up. "I know I should save this for the meeting, but I bought something for the baby, Pheebs."

"Oh? Really, what?"

Paige smiled. "A bib. Yeah, I know it's a bit soon for that, but it had this really cute" Paige's eyes widened as a demon shimmered into the kitchen in front of her.

"Demon!"

"Demon?" Phoebe asked, before she spotted the grey-skinned demon back away against the counter, looking bewildered.

Everyone leapt to their feet. Cole had a fireball in hand, Paige orbed a kitchen knife to her hand, Piper had her hands held up menacingly and Phoebe just waited for her baby to fry the demon.

"Wait! Don't kill me!" the demon cried. "I'm not here to hurt any of you! Damn, I need to learn to shimmer into less crowded rooms..."

Piper regarded the demon suspiciously. "Nobody shimmers into the Halliwell Manor without bad intent!" She paused and shot Cole an apologetic look. "No offence, Cole."

The tall, grey demon looked human except for his skin colour and purple eyes. He had a shock of black hair and was wearing blue jeans and a black t-shirt, unusual dress for a demon.

"Well the little one hasn't deemed me a threat, yet!" he cried, pointing to Phoebe. Phoebe glared at him. "How'd you know about..."

"Everyone knows about it. It's like the hottest topic in the magical world. It's kinda why I'm here."

"Spit it out, before I turn you into an ash pile," Cole threatened. Phoebe held his arm gently. "Easy, honey."

"I'm here on behalf of a psychic. She's hurt at the moment so I have to deliver her message. I really don't want to linger, because I hate to leave her alone."

"A psychic?" Phoebe tilted her head curiously.

The demon relaxed his stance a little. "Yes, my wife. She's a good psychic. Like old Belthazar here, I've turned to the good side. Unfortunately, I don't look like the good type. Anyway, basically she wanted me to give you this," he said and took out a smooth, black pebble from his pocket with a small symbol on it. It was made up of three lines with a circle in the center line. Phoebe felt her stomach heat up, but she held back on saying anything.

Nobody dared touch it. The demon sighed. "Look, if you don't believe my intentions are good, then I'll just leave the Drawing Stone here and go."

"Drawing stone?" Cole blurted. He stared at it and then his eyes widened. "It is! I thought those were all accounted for and destroyed."

"Hang on, what's he talking about?" Paige asked Piper. Piper shrugged. "Cole?"

The grey demon put the stone on the counter. "The message is that this might change the balance in your kid. We don't want this child to go all-out evil on us as much as you do, so it's a well-meant gesture. She also said to meet her at the annual Autumn Fair after he's born."

"You know he's a he?" Phoebe asked.

"Well, yeah. He was a he in her vision. I'm sorry, that's all I know. Take the stone, please."

With that, he shimmered out. Piper blinked. "What was he on about!" she suddenly cried.

"Yeah and what the heck is a Drawing Stone?" Paige asked Cole. She noticed the former demon was deep in thought.

"Cole?" Phoebe urged.

Cole snapped out of his thoughts and regarded them all. "A Drawing Stone is an ancient, blessed stone used to draw out magic. There were only a few of them, and no one has seen one in five hundred years. We presumed they were all destroyed."

"Draw...out?" Leo pressed.

"Yeah. White stones draw out good magic, and black stones like this one, evil magic. Basically, these stones were used on young magical children that had been kidnapped and taken to one side or the other. Their guardians would place the stone in their crib and leave it there as the child grew. What the stone does, over time, is tap into their evil or good powers and slowly draw it out. It's a very gradual process, but it's painless and strong."

Phoebe nodded slowly. "So they want us to put this in our baby's crib to"

"Soften his evil magic. Phoebe, this stone only works properly on third level demons or witches. Our son is more like, sixth level. Over time, it would probably lighten his demonic powers, or suppress them. The stones only reacts to young beings. That's why both sides felt threatened by them and destroyed them, although it was mainly evil that had a problem with it."

"Very convenient, don't you think?" Paige uttered. Phoebe shot her a glance. "What? It's meant for babies to draw out evil magic. There weren't supposed to be any left. Now, I'm all for junior having a little power dampener on his demonic side, but this thing would be beneficial for any attackers, too. If your son is less powerful when he is young, they have more chance at getting to him."

"Hmm. And it was delivered by a demon," Piper said.

"Ex-demon," Leo reminded her.

"You sure of that?" Phoebe asked.

Leo shrugged. "He seemed genuine."

"He did. And he dresses like a good guy, and spoke nicely," Piper mused.

"Yeah, maybe. But we all know how well demons can act," Paige stated. Cole frowned at her. "What?" she said. "It's true."

"But my son didn't react negatively to his presence, at first," Phoebe said.

"At first?" Paige queried.

Phoebe shifted uncomfortably. "Well, he did get really warm when the guy revealed the stone. I have a strong urge not to go near it, but I think it's more his urge than mine."

"Like a kid refusing broccoli," Paige murmured.

"Hey, it's only natural for magical beings to want to protect their powers," Cole defended his son.

"Ok, ok! Enough. Leo, please visit the Elders to see if you can find out more on these stones. As for the rest of us, we'll discuss this and other things at the meeting. I have a doctor's appointment to get to, Paige you said you have some work to do and you two need to start figuring out where you're going to put this baby," she addressed the last part of her sentence to Phoebe and Cole. She stood up and quietly stormed out of the kitchen.

Leo sighed. "You know how much Piper hates her breakfasts being interrupted," he said, took a piece of toast, and orbed away.

Paige was the last one left with Phoebe and Cole. She looked at Cole coolly for a moment, then quietly left the room. Cole turned to Phoebe once she had gone.

"Is it just me, or is the dissension between Paige and I getting worse?"

Phoebe rubbed her head. "I think I need another holiday."

Cole sighed and glanced at the stone. "So, are we just going to leave it there?" he asked. "Unguarded?"

"Hmm, I guess we should put it elsewhere." Phoebe moved towards it and suddenly the stone went flying and hit the wall. It slid down and landed on the floor.

"Did you just...?" Cole started.

"Not me, the baby. He obviously doesn't like it," she said, then groaned. "_That's_ a good sign."

"I'm sure if he were a purely good child and the stone was white he'd do the same thing. Don't worry," Cole said and walked over to the stone. He picked it up and started towards her.

"Cole stop!" she cried. He did. "What?"

"If you're carrying that thing, don't come near us. He might do something."

Cole looked at the pebble in his hand, and then clenched it. "I'm prepared to risk it. In fact I'm curious to see if he'd harm me now that I have it. It's a good test of how 'evil' he really is. So far he hasn't done anything to hurt me or anyone else in this family."

Phoebe looked worried. "I dunno Cole. I don't want him to get panicky and incinerate you."

"He won't. The worst he'll do is send me flying with his telekinesis."

Phoebe thought about it a moment, then gave in. "Okay, but outside the kitchen. I don't want you crashing into knives or anything."

"Right," Cole said and she waited until he had left the kitchen before she exited cautiously. When she stepped outside, she saw him clenching the stone, a look of curiosity and determination in his eyes.

"All right, Cole. It's your funeral," she said sarcastically. Cole advanced forward and Phoebe tensed. She felt her stomach warm up again, as if the baby was getting uncomfortable and building up for a force field.

"Cole, I don't know about this," she warned, feeling increasingly uneasy.

Cole was now walking slowly towards her and was just four feet away. Three feet. Two feet...

And then he was right in front of her. He knelt and opened his hand directly in front of her stomach. He felt a tiny ripple of energy pass over the surface of his palm and the stone was blown off it relatively peacefully. It hit the floor and skidded three feet. Cole stood up with his brows raised. "He didn't hurt me. He removed the stone from my palm without any violence. A very promising reaction."

Phoebe smiled a little. "Yeah, I'm relieved. Maybe you can work at it, getting him to trust your judgment on it, if we decide to use the stone."

"Do you want to?" he asked her, looking at her earnestly.

She withered under his gaze. "I-I-I don't know. I'm not sure. Cole I..."

She turned away from him, suddenly feeling cornered and confused.

"Phoebe..." he put a hand on her shoulder. She slowly turned to him again. "Cole, I know I haven't shown it much, but I'm scared. I'm really, really scared. He has so much power...and there are so many factors and mixed signs and...and I don't how I'm going to cope, or what's best for him. I really don't know what to do."

"Phoebe, it's going to be all right. You're not alone. You have me, you have your sisters and Leo. We're all going to help you through this."

"Yeah but they're all mixed in what they feel about it too," Phoebe reminded him. "I know Paige doesn't like the fact he has demonic powers, and now Piper is unhappy, too. Leo's with the Elders on binding his powers, which Piper is against, but then again, since the wedding she might feel differently. And you're pro him having all this power and I just don't seem to have a say anymore."

"Your say is the most important," he told her, placing both his hands firmly on her shoulders. "You're the mother. You do what you feel is right."

Phoebe sighed and looked downcast. "I will, if I ever figure out what the right thing is."

Cole cuddled her silently, trying his best to comfort her.

* * *

Piper had gone into her doctor's appointment very uptight and anxious about events at home. She was more worried about Phoebe's baby than the prospect of having her own, at that moment. As soon as she'd entered the room, her doctor noticed the frown on her face and the distant look in her eyes.

"You look very uptight, Piper," he commented.

"Ohhh, I know. Family problems," she sighed.

"Are you managing all right?" he asked.

"Yeah... I'm okay. So! We tried a blood test this time, and you said that the results would be in by now."

The doctor smiled briefly. "Yes, but you usually come with Leo..."

"Yeah, but he had an important errand to run," she explained.

The doctor nodded and got out her file. "It was given to me a few minutes ago, actually. So I haven't checked," he told her as he looked over the results. Piper had had so many disappointments that the Doctor's next words came as a surprise.

"Well! The blood test obviously proved fruitful! You're pregnant."

Piper's jaw dropped. "I...I..."

"Congratulations!" he said cheerfully. "I know how much you've wanted this."

Piper's gape changed to a very happy smile. She covered her mouth with surprise, but her eyes were sparkling with joy.

"I'm happy for you, Piper. Remember, now you have to have regular check-ups to make sure the baby is all right, and so are you."

Piper recovered a little from her initial shock. "Yes, yes, definitely! Please excuse me, I have got to call my husband," she said as she got out her mobile and headed for the door. "No problem," the doctor chuckled.

Piper went straight through the waiting room and outside into the lobby area. Conveniently, no one else was there.

"Leo!"

He orbed by her side a few moments later. He looked at her with concern. "What? Is something...wrong...?" he trailed noticing the broad smile on her face. His eyes widened.

"Piper are you...?"

She nodded, grinning, and moved forward and hugged him. He received the hug with joy. "Oh honey that's wonderful! I'm so happy!" he cried, surprised at the tears that had welled up in his eyes. He blinked them back, still a little shocked but overjoyed at the news.

Piper looked up at him, her eyes bright. "I guess we have something else to talk about at the meeting!"

"We certainly do," Leo said with a smile.

* * *

The Seer materialized in front of her greatest rival. Of course, her rival's being a psychic prevented her from getting a fright at the Seer's sudden appearance.

"Well well well, look who's here," the blonde middle-aged woman with bright green eyes stated. She was sitting at the counter of her own little shop. She sold magic cards, dream catchers, books on witchcraft and fairies - all the commercialized goods that had stemmed from mortal's interest in magic and the like.

The Seer glanced at her surroundings with disgust and turned back to the woman. "I find your business repulsive. Selling cheap junk and passing it off as magic."

The blonde woman snorted. "I find YOU repulsive. Now what do you want?"

"You already know!" the Seer snapped. "How dare you give the witch that stone! Her son's powers are not for you to meddle with."

"I did it to offer him some protection against hunters like you, who want him for his powers, and of course who want to turn him. If he is less inclined to go evil because his evil powers are suppressed or at best, softened, then I've done him a service," the woman retorted.

"Miranda, you are dealing with things beyond your control. The child is evil, he was conceived by a powerful demon. You cannot prevent what is inevitable," the Seer leaned across the counter threateningly.

Miranda held her stance and gave the Seer and equally hard stare. "You and I both know that visions can be changed. I owned the last Drawing Stone in the world with the knowledge that someday it might be useful. Now I have a reason to give it away."

The Seer glared at the woman, who was in a wheelchair with a broken leg and cracked ribs. A demon attack that had left her severely injured.

"You'd better watch your back, Miranda, because very soon, there might be a knife in it," the Seer hissed, and disappeared, just as a customer came through the door.

Miranda swallowed hard and realized how tense she had been. She clutched at her racing heart. She had been afraid, and with reason. Not only did the Seer mean to kill her, but she was bent on turning the Charmed One's child evil. That couldn't happen. If it did, it would spell the end for the world of good. Miranda knew this, because she had seen it.

* * *

**Chapter Two** - Confrontations.

Phoebe munched on some grapes as she waited for Piper and Leo. She was on the sofa, in the living room, resting against Cole's shoulder. Her husband was staring into space thoughtfully. Paige walked in.

"What is this, a meditation festival?" the youngest witch asked.

"Is it eleven thirty, yet?" Phoebe asked drearily. Paige checked her watch. "Eleven thirty exactly. Piper should be here any minute."

On cue, Piper's car could be heard pulling into the driveway outside.

"And so our glorious family meeting begins," Phoebe sighed. Her mood had changed considerably after the arrival of the Drawing Stone. It put a whole new light on things, and she wasn't sure how her sisters were going to react.

They heard Piper and Leo come walking through the house and all three turned to see them enter the living room. Piper was smiling ear to ear.

"I can't hold it any longer," Piper declared. "I'm pregnant!"

Phoebe and Paige erupted in cheers and both hurried over to their oldest sister and embraced her.

While the girls cooed and laughed together, Cole glanced over at a content Leo.

"Yo, Leo?"

Leo turned to look at Cole. "You da man," Cole grinned. Leo blushed.

"Oh my gosh, that's magical baby number two!" Paige said jovially, but everyone picked up on the serious undertone to her words. Their laughter died a little, and Piper pushed them away ever so gently.

"Yeah, yeah, I know! And as much as I'd just like to celebrate, we'd better talk about it. This seriously changes things, for all of us."

Phoebe and Paige nodded sagely and seated themselves on the couch, one on either side of Cole, as Leo and Piper took the other couch.

Piper's sigh came out as a mixture of joy and weariness. She looked up at her sisters and Cole. "Right. First things first. Leo, take the stand."

Leo cleared his throat. "Well, I did some research on the powers your son has displayed thus far. So far, he has a defensive and offensive force field. It's extremely powerful, and requires a lot of energy from the child. So basically it's not good that he keeps using it. It's stressful."

Phoebe looked down at her slight bulge and sighed. "I'm sorry, sweetie! I'll get your daddy to deflect fireballs from now on."

Cole smirked. "That makes me feel a little more useful."

Leo continued. "The other powers are short-hand premonitions, which are a different, somewhat lesser form of psychic abilities. Basically he can see what's going to happen a few seconds before it does. It's handy in a battle, but it doesn't give one much time to react. The Elders reckon it's going to be one of those powers that grow stronger as he gets older, maybe into fully fledged premonitions."

"Guess he won't be spilling coffee on anyone," Paige spoke up. If she could have seen those annoying little office accidents just a few seconds beforehand, she could have spared herself some embarrassment, and, come to think of it, saved some nice shirts.

"However," Leo's change in voice reeled in everyone's attention. "Coupled with his third power of Telepathic Transference, even shorthand premonitions can prove far more potent. What he did to Piper was telepathically transfer his vision to her. With time and practice, he could do that to a number of people. So, if he ever has a team of people going into a battle with him, he'll ensure they're always one step ahead of the enemy. It's a war tactic, as well as a defensive one, for when he is exposed or vulnerable and needs help."

"What a complex little power!" Piper exclaimed and gave Phoebe an intense look. Phoebe shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah, yeah it is. It'll be even more impressive if he could transfer fully fledged premonitions. He could warn us all, even when we are separated, about events to come."

"There's more," Leo said, and his facial expression told everyone he was not overly pleased with this fact.

"It's possible the telepathic transference could also develop into full telepathy. It'd take years of practice and he'd probably only get it right when he's about thirty, because it's not a congenial power. It's one that needs to be trained."

"Right. And the red light?" Phoebe asked.

Leo's eye brightened at the mention of it. "Now this one, I like."

Cole and Phoebe exchanged hopeful glances and then turned back to Leo.

"The red beam is an 'evil revealer'. It does exactly what its name states. It can show up shape-shifters for who they really are, uncloak Transparency demons, reveal the demonic side in half-human demons, and so on."

"I like that power too! It would've proven so useful when we were fighting those Transparency demons," Paige commented.

"Why didn't the baby use it then?" Phoebe asked.

"He was too young. You're four and a half months pregnant now. His powers are growing with him," Leo explained.

"So," Piper half-sighed, "He's developed a power a month, so far. Four powers. He's more powerful than me."

"He's more powerful than all of us, excluding Cole," Paige remarked dryly.

"Well at least we know he can hold his own. I hope your daughter can, too," Phoebe said to Piper. "Which brings me to my next point. There's no room for two babies here. So, I've decided to move into the penthouse."

Piper blinked at the bold statement. Phoebe had a look of adamancy on her face and her eyes begged Piper not to argue with her. Piper glanced at Paige, who shrugged.

"Well... I guess I can't force you to stay," Piper dragged with a disappointed, sad expression.

Cole came to Phoebe's aid. "Piper, you're starting your own family with Leo, and we have our own on the way. There's just not enough room in here for all of us. I promise you that we will keep in regular contact. Between the baby's powers and my own, our son will be well protected."

Piper felt that she should argue because she felt unhappy at the thought of the Power of Three being broken up like this. But she'd known it was coming. It had only been a matter of time before Phoebe decided to move out. It was true - things were getting cramped, and there wasn't enough room for everyone.

"I understand," she said eventually.

A little silence followed, before Leo spoke up. "I also found out about that stone. Believe it or not, that demon's legit. His name is Neil Baker, and he turned to the side of good twelve years ago. He's been married to a psychic, who is definitely on the force of good. The Elders say she deliberately stays elusive, because so many demons and warlocks want her dead. She's foiled many an evil plan. The stone is also real, and the Elders believe it was truly meant with good intent."

"Yeah, but should we use it?" Phoebe questioned everyone. "I mean, is it really our decision?"

"The baby is not going to be able to make decisions until it's much older, and by that stage it might be too late," Paige voiced her opinion. "I say we use it. It only affects demonic powers, and like Cole said - your kid's bound to turn out to be more along the lines of a 6th level deerm, 'magical being'. So, for his own protection..."

Piper gave Phoebe a sympathetic but serious look. "Honey, I think it's for the best. He's half witch, you know, so he would also have good powers. Telepathy and premonitions are stemmed from you, so they'll remain strong, and they're both powers we'd want him to develop."

A deep frown had creased Cole's face. He turned and looked intensely at Phoebe, whose face was downcast as she tried to negotiate her conflicting thoughts and feelings. Suddenly, her head jerked up and she stared at Piper searchingly. "Would you use a white stone on your child?"

Piper looked taken aback at that. Her mouth dropped open slightly, and then she regained her composure. "No, because my daughter is a mix of good and especially good," she said, inclining her head towards Leo. "I have no reason to."

"A good child can easily be taken and turned, too, you know," Phoebe pressed on.

"Phoebe!"

Paige stood up. "Ok! Ok! Please, let's not fight about this. Both of you are now moms to be, and the decision on what to do with your respective kids should remain with the mother. Personally, I think using the stone on a potentially evil kid is a good idea, but he's only half formed, so you have plenty of time to decide on it. So why don't we adjourn this meeting, while it's still fairly civil."

"You haven't said much on the matter, Cole," Piper commented, her voice low and a tiny bit sour.

Cole folded his arms and regarded her impassively. "I've left it up to Phoebe. Her maternal instincts are the best guide, I think."

"Great! Then we're all settled!" Paige cried, exasperated.

Piper stood up, looking a little flushed. "I think we're far from settled... But I agree that now's a good time to end this discussion." Her face remained grim for a few seconds later, then softened. "I'd really like to celebrate my pregnancy, now."

"Aww, sweetie! Sorry we've stressed you out so much," Paige came to Piper's side. Leo stood up and smiled gently, and took her hand. "How about we go out for a nice lunch to celebrate?" he suggested.

Piper nodded enthusiastically. "That's a great idea. Ph...Phoebe? Do you and Cole want to come?"

Cole shrugged his shoulders to express he didn't mind, but Phoebe made the decision. "Not today, thanks. I've...got some work to do," she said slowly, her eyes dark.

Piper nodded slightly and then flicked her hair back and faced her husband with a warm smile. "Guess it's just you, Paige and I. Got a restaurant in mind?"

"Oh, I know a good one!" Paige piped up. The three of them walked out of the living room, chatting merrily.

Once they'd left, an oppressive silence filled the air. Cole gazed at Phoebe inquisitively. He noticed how moody and solemn she looked.

"What are you thinking?" he asked gently.

Phoebe remained dead still, her eyes distant. She replied slowly. "I'm thinking that now's as good a time as any to start making plans to move into the penthouse."

With that, she stood up, and quietly left the room. Cole watched her go worriedly. From the moment Phoebe suggested Piper's daughter could also be turned, a rift had been opened between the two. It would remain there for a long time after.

* * *


	2. Chapter 2

**Into the Unknown**

**Part Two**

**By: **Sapphire (aka Malachite157)

_**Writer's Note**: Gah! Sorry this took me so long to update. wonders if she still has any readers The past year's been crazy-busy for me and I haven't seen Charmed since I left South Africa and moved to England, a year ago. I was given the third season of Charmed on DVD for Christmas, which I have been watching to jog my memory. It took me an entire DAY to re-read the previous fics in this series to remind myself what I'd been writing. I'm also in need of a beta reader, as I lost the email address of my previous beta reader. :( If anyone's interested, please contact me! So, that rather unimportant information aside, on with the fic!_

* * *

**Chapter 3** - Cause and Effect

**2 Weeks Later:**

"That's the problem with witches. Female witches, that is. They're capable of having more witches, and even more powerful ones, at that!"

Frank glanced across the pool table at the grumbling demon, named Gerald. The two weren't friends, really. They just played pool with each other occasionally.

Gerald was supposedly talking to Frank, although he seemed to be more on a tangent with himself.

"And you know what? A Charmed One is pregnant. With a half-demon's kid! Belthazar's I believe. Can you imagine that combination? It's gonna spell the end for us all, Frank. That kid's gonna be so tough, we're all gonna be crumbling at his knees."

Frank stood upright and stared at Gerald. "What are you getting at?"

Gerald looked around, his eyes shifty. Then he leaned across the pool table and whispered. "I'm saying, I've got a job. I've been hired by a certain someone to kill this kid. And I know exactly how." He pulled away from Frank again, raising his eyebrows to express how impressed he was at his own statement.

Frank blew a raspberry. "Puh-lease! That kid's only a step behind invincible, already! A number of demons have tried to kill him and failed miserably. They've all died horrible deaths too, I might add."

Gerald snored and smirked. "That's because they went about it all wrong. They've all been aiming directly at the kid. They had no strategies. None had properly thought about how they were going to get to him."

"And you have, correct?" Frank said sarcastically, and sank a few balls. He shot the demon a contemptuous look. It was a daring thing to do, considering Gerald was an extremely powerful demon. He was, however, too self-absorbed to even acknowledge criticism. He was simply deaf to it.

Gerald sneered. "Of course. I have the perfect plan. Consider yourself lucky that I'm even sharing this much information with you."

Frank laughed a short, mocking laugh. "Oh really? It's all hot air to me. You haven't let on anything."

That annoyed Gerald, visibly. Frank was actually rather intrigued to find out what Gerald had planned. The Charmed One's child was, after all, Frank's future partner in crime. He was technically obliged to protect him, if he wanted to make sure his deal was secure with the Seer.

"Well, if you must know..." Gerald inclined his head to a quieter spot in the corner of the bar. They abandoned their game and walked over to an empty table and sat opposite each other.

Gerald continued to look shifty. Finally, he got comfortable and looked directly at Frank. "You're the closest thing I've got to a friend, Frank. So I am gonna let you in on this. There's this guy, who I'm afraid I cannot give the name of, who's gearing up to being the new Source. He's a really powerful sucker, but like the last Source, he isn't comfortable with this kid being alive. Unlike most demons who have tried to get a double whammy outta the little guy by stealing his powers, the new Source-to-be ain't gonna risk it. He's paying me a pretty penny, and granting me immortality, if I kill this child."

"You've got my attention," Frank said darkly.

"You better not tell a soul about this, Frank! You know I can have you killed even after I'm dead," Gerald warned.

Frank nodded impassively. "Yeah, yeah. I know. But I'd be stupid to betray a demon such as yourself, Gerald."

Gerald grinned and puffed his chest out a little with pride. "Yes, you would."

Frank held back on rolling his eyes. Man, this demon was stuck-up!   
"Please, continue," he said politely.

"Anyway," Gerald said in a low voice. "By next week Tuesday, the kid will be dead and I will be alongside the new Source. I'm attacking within the next few days."

Frank's eyes widened. "That's it? You're not going to tell me how?"

Gerald sat back in his chair and folded his arms. "No. That's top-secret. The reason I told you any of this, is because I want to offer you a position in a company I intend on founding. That, and a high ranking position next to the new Source."

Frank managed not to cry out in frustration. He was hoping that Gerald would continue to gloat and spill the beans on his plans. 'I guess he's not that stupid, then,' Frank thought grimly.

"I'd be honored, Gerald. But I am so curious! Will you not give me even a hint to what you plan is?" Frank tried his luck.

Gerald glanced up to the heavens and heaved a sigh, while continuing to smile smugly. It was such a contemptuous gesture, Frank felt like toasting him with a fireball right there. Only he didn't have enough power for that. Curse powerful demons with arrogant attitudes!

"I'll just say this Witch she may be, and right now she is well protected against magical attack. But she still needs the basics to survive. Witches are, after all, just a magical upgrade on humans."

With that Gerald pushed his seat out and stood up. "See you next week, captain," he jeered at Frank and wandered off into the crowds.

Frank stared after him, his mind a whir of thoughts and possibilities. Gerald looked so damn confident...was it possible he might actually have a plan to kill her?

And if he succeeded, what would happen to him?

Frank made up his mind then and there. He had to stop Gerald.

* * *

Phoebe watched the last of her stuff being loaded into the trunk of Cole's car. He heaved the lid shut and sighed, rubbing his forehead.

"That's the last of it! Man, you have a lot of clothes," he commented while grinning playfully.

She flashed him a weak smile. "I'm coming now, honey. Just gonna get my handbag." She turned back into the house to face a miserable-looking Piper.

"You know I still can't believe you're moving out so damn quickly. You've barely given us time to prepare!" Piper chided.

Phoebe sighed, exasperated, and took her handbag off the hook beside the front door. Piper had been moaning at her all week.

She turned and looked at her sister with a cool expression. "Prepare for what? You know that I'm not going to be far away. If you need me, just send Paige or Leo to orb me, or call Cole to shimmer me. Besides, now you can use my room for your baby and not your closet."

"Phoebe! This is not about you being an orb away or about space for the baby. It's about your sudden urge to leave. It's not fair just to spring this on us."

Phoebe's shoulders slumped wearily and she tried to contain an impatient outburst. "Things happen fast, Piper. You of all people should understand that. Cole and I are married, now. We have a baby on the way. We need our own place and quite frankly, I need some more space myself."

Piper drew in a shaky breath. "But you're a demon magnet, now. I'm gonna be worried sick about you."

Phoebe's face crumpled up into a disgusted frown. "Oh, is that how you view my son? A demon magnet?"

"That's not how I meant it," Piper replied, keeping her anger in check.

"You know what Piper? If my son is such a threat to you, then consider yourself lucky I'm moving out. That'll make things safer for you and your baby, and everyone else!"

"How can you say that? Phoebe what the heck has gotten into you!" Piper snapped.

Phoebe lost her temper at that moment. "What the HECK has gotten INTO me? What's that implying!"

"Oh my God! You over-analyse everything! You're so edgy it's scary!" Piper exclaimed.

"Well maybe if a certain witch wasn't always on my case all the time I wouldn't feel so goddamn guilty for being pregnant. Every day you remind me of how powerful he is and how evil he could be. Like it isn't on my conscience every waking moment as it is!"

"I have NEVER tried to make you feel guilty. If anything I've been supportive of you and your demonic husband!"

Phoebe lost all control at that statement, and jerked her hands downward in fury. Both hands burst into flames.

Piper stepped back, her jaw dropping. "Phoebe!"

Phoebe glanced down at her hands. They were surrounded by fire, but it didn't burn. She mentally commanded them to go out, and the flames did. She looked up at Piper with tears in her eyes. "Now look what you made him do," she whispered, and shimmered.

Piper stood staring at the spot where Phoebe had been standing and blinked. After a few seconds, she roared: "LEO!"

* * *

Cole was listening to a pleasant melody on the car radio when Phoebe shimmered in the seat next to him. He gasped, startled.

"Phoebe! You just..." He stopped when he saw she was crying.

"I know," she sobbed.

Cole stared at her worriedly. "What's wrong? What happened?"

"Please just start the car, Cole. I'll tell you on the way," she choked.

Cole slowly turned back to the steering wheel and started the car. When he was about fifty meters from the Manor, he glanced at Phoebe. "You wanna tell me why you're crying, now?"

Phoebe wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and let out a shaky sigh. "Piper and I got into a fight. The baby got upset... _I_ got upset. My hands burst into flames. I didn't lose control of them, I just thought for them to go out and they did. But I could feel his stress... He shimmered me to you. I guess...I guess he...we both just wanted to get out of there. Oh God, Piper must really distrust him now!"

Cole soaked in the information and placed a hand on her knee. "That's all right. You've just channelled some of his power through yourself. You know, as Piper's child grows she'll probably also experience some strange things. What were you two arguing about?"

Phoebe rested the side of her face against her fist. "Ohhh, my reasons for moving out. She's been giving me a hard time about it, but I know it goes deeper than that."

"She may be your big sister, but she can't control you, Phoebe. You have your own life to live," Cole told her.

"I know," she sighed. "I just think she looks at me, what's happening to me... And I think she gets frightened. About me, about my son, about what _her_ child might turn out to be. We're both going into the unknown with these kids. It's such an intense collection of power, and it's happening all at once."

"It's understandable," Cole said, nodding slightly. "But you don't need to worry. You've got me."

She smiled sadly and looked at him. "I know," she said, and squeezed his arm gently.

They drove in a thoughtful silence all the way to the penthouse.

* * *

"Her friggin' hands burst into _flames_, Leo! If that ain't demonic, I don't know what is!"

Leo watched his wife have a small fit in front of him. He calmly assessed the situation as she blurted it out.

"And then she shimmered! Not orbed, _shimmered_. My God, my sister's being turned into a demon by that child!"

Leo sighed. "That's the baby's powers acting through her, you know. If she got stressed, then her baby would too and that combination leads to both their powers being affected. She channelled her son's powers subconsciously. The fact that she didn't harm you shows she has control, still. It was a response of anger and stress. I don't think it was hostile."

"She was glaring at me with her hands on fire. It looked pretty darn hostile to me!" Piper exclaimed.

Paige walked in the front door. "Oh my gosh, sorry I'm late! Is Phoebe already gone...? Why do I sense extreme dissension?"

Piper turned to her youngest sister. "Yes, Phoebe has left already. And you know how? She shimmered."

"Shimmered?" Paige repeated, her eyes wide.

"AFTER she tried to fry me with fireballs!"

"Piper don't exaggerate," Leo cut in. "Her hands were down, you said, and as soon as they combusted, Phoebe mentally put them out."

"Whoa whoa whoa! What's going on here?" Paige demanded.

Leo held up his hand to silence Piper. She opened her mouth, and then closed it while scowling at him.

"Please, Piper. Let me try and get a few words in. Paige, your sister and Phoebe got into an argument. It agitated both Phoebe and the baby. The rise in emotions caused Phoebe's son's powers to be channelled through her and her hands burst into flames. Which she put out quickly and successfully. Her shimmering was definitely her child's powers. I can sense her. She's very unhappy, and most likely with Cole right now, where both she and the baby feel safe."

"Riiiight. So, month five hits and junior has an extra _two_ powers? Well that's just magnificent," Paige sighed dramatically.

"Oh I SO agree with you," Piper chirped.

Leo gave them both steady looks. "Listen, Phoebe's not at fault here and you know that. She's holding inside of her a being that neither magical side is sure about. The only thing we are sure of is that he's very powerful, and conflicted. What Phoebe needs, and what her son needs, is your support. She needs her sisters' love and understanding to help her through this. The more agitated she gets, the worse it is for her son."

Piper averted her gaze with a huff while Paige nodded sombrely. "You're right, Leo. The way we've been going on at her... She probably felt cornered, which is why she moved out in such a hurry."

"It's just alarming, you know?" Piper spoke up, her voice softer now and emotional. "I don't know what's happening to her...what's gonna happen. I worry about her, but I feel helpless at the same time."

Leo couldn't help but smile a little at Piper's rationalizing her feelings honestly in front of them both. She had her moods, and a short temper, but she was a good, kind and caring person at heart.

"I can understand that. We're all worried about her, but worrying isn't going to help any. We just need to BE there for her. That's all we can do."

Piper nodded and sighed. "Thanks, Leo. I needed someone to sober me up."

Paige cleared her throat. "So, they've already left. Should we...call them, later? See how they're doing?"

"Maybe we should give it an hour or so. We both need some time to cool off," Piper said.

"Good idea," Leo conceded. "Want me to help make lunch?" he added gently.

"Can you? I'm not feeling too good myself."

"Uh oh... Morning sickness begins!" Paige chimed. Piper shot her a glare and Paige shrugged with a goofy smile. "Never mind what I said. I'll help too."

* * *

It took some time for Cole and Phoebe to move everything out of the car trunk and to the top floor of their new penthouse. It was tempting for Cole to shimmer everything up, but he'd already met some of the neighbours who he could see were watching him from their windows. Phoebe was quiet and sombre most of the time. She carried only light bags and some packets. She'd stocked the penthouse with food yesterday and they'd already had their furniture and beds delivered. Other than clothes and some personal possessions, there wasn't much else to move in. Phoebe had been very quick and efficient at organizing things from the moment she decided she'd move in.

An hour had passed when they'd finally done the majority of the unpacking and sank down onto the sofas with weary sighs. It was three in the afternoon and they hadn't stopped for lunch.

"Phew... Unpacking sure works a sweat. You hungry, Phoebe?"

Phoebe was sitting next to him and gazing out the window with a glazed look on her face. "Hmm?" she stirred.

"I'm hungry. I'm gonna make some sandwiches. Do you want anything?" he repeated patiently.

"Oh, no, I'm okay."

"You should eat. You both need nourishment."

Phoebe grimaced at the mention of her baby. Even mentioning him right now seemed to put her in a bad mood.

"I'm fine, Cole. I'll make something for myself later. You go eat."

Cole knew not to push the limits of Phoebe's patience and left silently. Phoebe glanced around the room. It was a beautiful penthouse. Modern, clean and luxurious. Most women would be pleased to be with such an adoring man in such an exquisite home. They both had careers and were earning good money. But it didn't seem to mean anything without the support of her family. And Phoebe knew she wasn't most women. She was a Charmed One, a witch who was pregnant with some great powerful being that could be the spawn of all evil. She was right in feeling a bit sulky over that!

Her thoughts were interrupted when the telephone rang. It was the one thing she suddenly regretted having set up in advance. She grumbled and stood up and headed over to it.

"Hello?"

"Phoebe? It's Piper."

Phoebe groaned inwardly. "Yes?"

"Honey, I'm sorry I snapped at you. I guess I'm just nervous and hormonal too."

Phoebe acknowledged the apology and usually she would have responded with equally sympathetic words but something inside of her stirred. She felt an uncalled for anger and resentment towards Piper rise up. She knew that feeling such strong negative emotions towards her, especially in light of what she'd just said, was completely irrational. And yet...

"It's fine, Piper."

She mentally kicked herself for sounding so curt. She wanted things to be okay between them again. She wanted to apologize too.

There was a hurt pause on the other end, a muffled sigh and then: "All right, well, if you need anything just call, okay?"

"Yeah okay."

Why couldn't she say what she wanted to say? This was going beyond being stubborn and moody. She felt as if her own sentiments and words were being suppressed!

"I'll try be more supportive in future Phoebe. I'm sorry. I got scared for you, for all of us. I--I... I love you."

_I love you too! Piper, I'm sorry!_

"Sure, whatever. Bye."

She put the phone down abruptly and the loud click it made seemed cold and sharp in the lonely silence. She stared, petrified, at the receiver. Why had she just done that?

Cole walked in at that moment munching on a sandwich. He froze when he saw her pale face and her tense stance over the phone. He swallowed and spoke up.

"What's the matter? Who called?"

She turned to him slowly. "J-just...Just Piper. She apologized."

Cole took a few cautious steps towards her. "And? Are you two okay now?"

A frown flickered across her face and she seemed to have an internal battle before she replied. "I'm not sure."

Suddenly, she snapped back into action and all her tense feelings subsided. She flashed a smile at him. "But anyway! Let's get on with our lives. Are you starting work again tomorrow?"

Cole looked a little taken aback by her sudden change in attitude, but he decided not to question it for the moment.

"Uh, yeah. When do you get back to work?"

"Wednesday. I've been given a two day extension on the weekend because of all the moving in. Guess my boss was in a good mood that day."

"So you'll be alone at home tomorrow. Are you sure that's a good idea?" he asked, looking concerned.

She blew a raspberry. "Of course! I'll sort out stuff, unpack the last few boxes... I'll make a nice dinner for when you get back. And don't you worry about demons and the like. Baby's proved he's more than capable of defending himself."

Cole didn't look so sure. "Well..." he began, but Phoebe cut him off.

"Don't worry about me sweetie! I'll be fine! Besides, I need some alone time to sort things out."

Phoebe surprised herself at her own confidence. She felt strange, as if...artificially happy. But she did agree in part with what she was saying. She didn't want to constantly live worrying about being alone. She was capable of looking after herself and just because she was married didn't mean she couldn't still have some independence.

Cole gave in and shrugged. "If you say so." He moved over to her and embraced her. She closed her eyes and sighed happily. She always felt better when he held her. She figured it made both her and her son happy and secure.

"You wanna rent a movie tonight? To celebrate?" he offered.

"That'd be great."

* * *

**The Next Morning:**

Piper wandered down the corridor from her bedroom, still dressed in her pyjamas. She'd only just left her bed but she'd been awake a good half hour, worrying and thinking. She paused outside Phoebe's room and placed her hand gently against the door, deliberating for a few seconds before finally pushing it open. She stared into the largely empty room. Only her bed and a few small things remained. The soft morning light filtered in through a parting in the curtains and illuminated the dust floating throughout the room. She definitely had packed up in a hurry yet, at the same time, had left little trace of herself. Piper sighed unhappily.

"Piper?"

She turned around to see Leo gazing at her with concern. "Is everything all right?"

She smiled sadly and nodded, turning back to the room. "Yeah... It's just so noticeable, her absence. I mean, I know she's only been gone a night but, well, I miss her already."

"It's quite a change to get used to, but it's not like she's gone far away. You can get in contact with her whenever you like."

"Hmm...if only it felt like that."

"Wha...?"

She turned to face him again. "Oh, I'm probably being silly. It's just that she was so standoffish with me on the phone, even after I'd apologized. I expected her to be a little more receptive. I mean, we were both highly strung at the time."

"I don't think you should take it to heart. She'd had a very stressful day. Moving in can be really chaotic. Maybe she just needs some time to settle in," he said gently.

She smiled at him and put a hand against his shoulder. "You're right. I am overreacting. I worry for her, is all."

"I know, you're her sister, it's only natural. But you've also gotta worry for yourself sometimes. You've got your own life to live and responsibilities to deal with. Phoebe knows she has family who love her and if she needs us and she'll come to us. You must do the same. If something's bothering you, you should talk about it with us."

"I will," she said quietly. She patted him once on the shoulder and then pushed passed him gently and headed back to her room. Leo watched her, unable to suppress a small sigh. All these changes were taking their toll on the sisters and it pained him to see them struggling with them, but it was something they simply had to go through.

* * *

Phoebe was awoken by a kiss on the forehead. Her eyes opened slowly and she found herself gazing up at the face of her husband.

"Gotta go."

He pulled away and she saw that he was fully dressed for work. She sat up groggily. "Hmm? What time is it?"

"Nearly nine o'clock. I can't stay any longer. Are you sure you're going to be all right?" he said, picking up his briefcase.

She rubbed her eyes and yawned. "Yeah...yeah I'll be fine. You have a good day at work, honey."

Cole smiled as he stopped in the doorway. "Keep safe. And call me if anything happens."

"I will!" she called after him as he left the room.

She listened for the sound of the front door closing. When she heard it, she sank back into bed with a sigh. She felt awful. Her chest was tight and her lower back ached. She also felt a little feverish.

"I hope I'm not coming down with something," she grumbled as she summoned the energy to get out of bed. She refused to lie down all day when there was still so much to be done. There were boxes to be unpacked and some cleaning to be done.

----------------------------------------------

Gerald watched as the half-demon pulled out of the parking lot and drove down the street. Phoebe had not been in the vehicle with him, as he'd hoped. This was his chance.

He shimmered to the roof of the penthouse and immediately set to work. He drew from his pocket a dark spell he had "obtained" from a Transparency demon. It would lock in all magic. Nothing could orb in and nothing could shimmer out. The magic seal was essential for his plan to work. He could not allow any white lighters to interfere, nor could he allow the witch to escape.

The chant only took a half minute. After that he set about completing stage two of his plan. Prohibiting her from leaving the penthouse magically was only part of the trap...

--------------------------------------------------------

Phoebe stared at the lamp she'd recently unpacked. It had always gone so well with the decor of her room at the manor but it stuck out like a sore thumb in the stylish, modern interior of her new home. It didn't seem to fit anyway. She stroked it fondly with her thumb as she held it. It made her think of the manor and all the memories attached to it. Her thoughts then drifted to Piper. She felt bad at having been so rude to her on the phone. It was still fairly early in the day so it was likely she'd be at home. Maybe now she could call her and apologize...

"And offer her this lamp. Maybe her daughter will appreciate it when she's older," she murmured aloud.

With a sigh she got up off her knelt position on the floor and made her way to the phone, still carrying the lamp. She placed it on the table as she began to dial Piper's number.

Suddenly, the room turned dark and she saw a ghostly image of herself lying on the floor, choking and writhing. The premonition was over before she'd finished her gasp. She'd never had one so short! She dropped the receiver as it dawned on her what had happened. It had been a short-hand premonition...her baby was warning her!

"Oh! Oh oh!" She hurried towards the door. There was a hiss and she swivelled around. She couldn't see anything that might have made the noise. She turned around again and grabbed the handle, only to receive a shock. She drew back her hand sharply. "What the--" She stopped short as a wave of nausea hit her and she began to feel light-headed. Her vision began to blur and she felt terribly dizzy. Then she smelt it. It had a bitter almond smell and she instinctively knew that it was a bad smell, one of a poisonous gas.

She staggered across the room, trying her best not to breathe in even though her lungs were crying for air, and tried the windows. She was shocked back and onto the floor. She was dimly aware of her stomach growing hot and a force field going up around her, but it was of no use. Her baby's powers were useless at protecting her from the deadly air.

She tried to crawl across the floor to the receiver, but the desire to breathe became too strong and she was unable to stop herself from gasping.

* * *

Frank shimmered into the elevator and instructed it to open at the top floor. While he was in a terrible rush and panic, he still had to be cautious so as not to risk exposure. The elevator climbed its way up sluggishly and he tapped his foot nervously. "Come on, come on!"

The elevator finally reached the top floor and opened up. He stepped out and headed straight for the door to the witch's apartment. He wasn't entirely sure she was in trouble now, but he had spotted Gerald consulting with a shady figure in the bar just an hour earlier and then he'd shimmered away. It was Monday and Gerald had promised the witch would be dead by Tuesday. If he was going to strike, it had to be today.

He'd been discreetly keeping a watch on the youngest Charmed one since he'd learned of Gerald's ambitions but so far had been unable to deduce his strategy. Growing increasingly concerned, he'd decided to check up on her under the guise of a door-to-door salesman. If he was wrong about there being a problem, the worst she would do to him was slam the door in his face.

He came to the door and knocked. He received a nasty shock. "What the hell!" he cursed loudly. He stared at the door, wondering if it had been blessed with some kind of evil-deterrent force field. Or magic-deterrent...

"Hey! Hey anybody in there!" he yelled. He got no response.

"Hnnnn! Hello!" He grew restless. Something was not right, he could sense it. Evil had a keen sense for other evil and there was definitely the presence of it in the air. In fact...

He bent down and peered through the keyhole, being careful not to put his face too close. The first thing he experienced was a whiff of something that definitely upset his lungs. With a cough he backed away a little and narrowed his eyes. He could just make out a form lying on the floor.

"Oh crap!"

He shimmered and landed right back where he'd started. "So it is a magic seal!" he exclaimed. He stood there and chewed on his nails anxiously.

_"Okay, so she's being poisoned and is trapped by a magic seal. Now where's the best place to start a seal..." _

His eyes widened and he shimmered. The next thing he saw was Gerald crouched over a small area of sunroof. He glanced up, surprised.

"Frank? What are you doing---yeeeahh!"

Frank tossed a fireball at him and knocked him off his perch on the roof. Gerald went rolling backwards and off the roof, yelling.

Frank rushed over to a piece of paper, pinned down by a heavy paperweight. He skim-read it as he knew it was only a matter of time before Gerald recovered from the fall and came back to get his revenge. A fireball and a tumble off the roof would not stop _that _demon.

"That's the seal all right. Now how do I... I... Read it backwards! Yes!" He remembered breaking a seal many years ago by reading the enchantment in reverse. As he now did so, he hoped that the trick would work a second time round.

He rushed through the spell and then tried shimmering inside. He was successful. He looked around wildly for the witch, trying not to inhale as he did so, and spotted her lying unconscious on the floor near the table. He gathered her in his arms and promptly left.

Knowing that Gerald would be looking for her, he decided dropping her off at her sisters' manor would be her best chance at survival. Hopefully they'd be able to give her the care she needed.

* * *

Paige did nothing to stifle the enormous yawn she entered the kitchen with. Piper glanced up from her cup of coffee. "Sleep well?"

"Okay, I guess. You?"

Piper raised her cup to her lips. "So-so," she mumbled into it before she took a sip.

Paige made her way to the cupboard to get her favourite cereal. "I can't believe I've slept in so much. I'm just glad today's a late start at work. I've only gotta be in at ten. What are your plans for today?"

Piper rested her face against her left fist and drummed her right fingers against her cup. "I dunno. I probably should start setting up the club for tonight. Travis are playing this evening."

"Exciting! Would you need any help? I'm getting off at six today but I can probably wriggle my way out at five."

"Nah, I'll be fine."

Before either of them could say any more, the doorbell rang. Piper and Paige exchanged curious glances. "Are we expecting anyone?" Paige asked.

"Not that I know of," Piper said, frowning as she stood up. The two of them made their way to the door. As they rounded the corner into the passageway they both saw Phoebe's prone form lying limply on the floor.

"Oh my god, Phoebe!" Piper exclaimed and rushed over to her younger sister. She shook her but got no response.

"Leo!" Paige shouted. A moment later Leo orbed beside her, still buckling his belt. "Can't a guy take a bathroom break without---Phoebe!"

"Leo help, I don't know what's wrong with her!" Piper cried as he knelt beside her. "There's no visible sign that she's been hurt, but she's out cold and her pulse is very weak."

Leo held his hands over her, face contorted in worry. A dull, warm light appeared over her face and chest as he healed something internal. However, after the healing was complete, she still did not revive.

"What's wrong, why isn't she responding!" Piper panicked.

"Hang on! I smell something on her clothes..." Leo said as he lowered his nose to her blouse. He sat straight up, all the colour drained from his cheeks. "I know that smell! That's cyanide gas! She's been poisoned!"

"Oh god! What do we do!" Paige flapped about frantically.

"Get all these clothes off her and wash her! Then we'll need to get her to a hospital. I can only heal the physical, internal damage the gas might have done to her but it's not enough. She needs proper treatment."

"Who did this to her and why is she here!" Paige asked as she helped Piper strip Phoebe of the contaminated clothes.

"I don't know, but whoever brought her here wanted her to live, for some reason. We can discuss it later. Come, let's get her to the shower!" Piper urged.

* * *

The Seer was sitting in peace and quiet in her quarters, eyes white and staring blankly ahead of her. The silence was disturbed when Frank shimmered into the room, panting.

"Gah! Seer! Someone's tried to---"

"I know," the Seer interrupted. "You have done well."

"You knew this was coming?" Frank shouted, staring at her incredulously. "Why didn't you warn me?"

"Because I wanted to see how far you were willing to go to protect your unborn master," she replied calmly, the white fading from her eyes.

"And what if I'd failed? Then your precious charge-to-be would have died!"

"You wouldn't have failed. As I have told you before, Frank, I have seen you do great things. It is why I chose you."

"So was this some sort of test?" he snarled, taking a menacing step towards her. Her distant gaze vanished as she fixed him with an intense glare.

"Hardly. It was rather a lesson to you. While you may not receive your power for another seven years, you must still be willing to protect your investment. At this vulnerable stage in the child's life many demons will be after him. You have to keep your eyes and ears open to any plots to destroy him."

Frank opened his mouth to reply angrily to that, only to find he had no argument. Still, he felt very hard done by in this case. The Seer had the power to warn him and it upset him that she had not. There was also Gerald to worry about.

"What about Gerald? He will no doubt want to kill me for thwarting his plan. I cannot fight him, his power is superior to mine!"

"You need not worry about him," the Seer told him nonchalantly. "I will deal with him."

"How? He's a formidable upper-level demon. He'll be after me and I won't be able to---"

She silenced him by raising her hand. "I told you, I will deal with him. You just lie low for another few days and all will be well soon enough."

Frank glowered at her, chest heaving as he struggled to contain a violent outburst. Finally, he managed to calm himself enough to shimmer away from the Seer. As much as he was loath to do it, he had no choice but to trust her.

* * *

When Phoebe came to she found herself lying in bed in a white room. It took her a few moments to realize she was in hospital. Before she could call out for anyone, Piper and Paige appeared in the doorway.

"Heeeey, honey!" Piper cooed as she came to her side, Paige following. She took her hand and bent over her as Paige stroked her hair. "How're you feeling?"

"Ugh... A little sick and dizzy... What happened?" Phoebe rasped.

"We were hoping you'd tell us," Paige said.

"We found you in the passageway after someone rang the doorbell. You'd been poisoned with cyanide gas," Piper said with a worried frown.

Phoebe mirrored the frown and then remembered the incident in the penthouse. "Y-yeah... I was...I was in the penthouse and about to call you when I...I had this really fast premonition of me on the floor. I figured it was the baby trying to warn me and so I tried to get out, but when I touched the door handle...I got a shock." She cringed as she paused to swallow and continued. "The next thing I knew I was coughing... The air was poison to breathe. I tried to get out but I kept getting shocked and then... I must have passed out. It's all very fuzzy."

"Oh you poor thing," Piper said and hugged her carefully.

"Did you see anyone?" Paige asked.

Phoebe shook her head weakly. "No... Nobody." Suddenly, her eyes widened with a look of alarm. "The baby! Oh God, is the baby---"

"The baby's all right, sweetie," Piper interjected calmly. "The doctors said you could only have been breathing it in for two minutes maximum and so no permanent damage has been done to you or your child. You were very lucky to have escaped when you did."

"But who rescued me? Who could have known?" Phoebe asked, looking relieved at the news of her son but still confused and distressed.

"Well, it wasn't Leo and it wasn't Cole. We're really not sure WHO helped you out... Or who tried to kill you. But I swear, we'll find out," Paige assured her adamantly.

Phoebe had sat up a little when she'd panicked but now she found she was too weak and tired to maintain the position and so she sank back down into the pillow. "Where is Cole?" she asked quietly.

"Leo's just gone to get him. He should be here any---" Piper began, but was interrupted when the person in question rushed into the room.

"Phoebe!" he cried. The sisters parted and let him fall to his knees between them. He gripped Phoebe's hand and stared at her in alarm.

"Leo told me what happened. I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you!" he said miserably.

She smiled at him feebly. "It's okay, you couldn't have known," she told him in a whisper.

"I promise, I will find the person who did this to you and tear him into---"

"Not now, Cole. She's suffered enough stress today without having to worry about you going on a rampage for revenge," Paige scolded. "We're all concerned about who tried to assassinate her as much as we are confused as to who saved her. It's something we're going to have to figure out by ourselves while Phoebe recovers. The doctors want to keep her in overnight just to make sure she's okay."

"Then I'm staying with her," Cole stated firmly.

"Fine," Piper said before Paige could protest in any way. "But we're going back to the manor to check the Book of Shadows for any demons whose speciality is poisoning with gas."

"And I'll go check with the Elders to see if they know anything," said a voice from behind them all. They turned to see Leo standing just a few feet away.

"Leo," Phoebe cried softly. He looked at her worriedly and came to her side. "Don't you worry, we'll sort this out," he told her.

There was a thoughtful silence shared among them all before he spoke again. "Now I suggest we do what we need to and leave Phoebe to sleep. She needs her rest."

The sisters bid goodbye to Phoebe and left the room, as did Leo. Cole remained by Phoebe's side throughout the night as she slept.

* * *

**Chapter Four **- Contingency Plans

The Charmed ones and their white-lighter were completely baffled as to who had tried to kill Phoebe and more so as to who had saved her. There was nothing in the Book of Shadows about demons who used gas to kill their victims and the Elders were just as clueless as to who it might have been. After three days of researching and coming up empty, the sisters were beginning to worry that they were missing something big.

Phoebe had recovered from her attack and had been staying at the manor when Cole was not home. Everyone agreed it was best she was not alone for any length of time. Either Paige or Cole took or fetched her to and from work, not prepared to risk her being alone even for the drive. The protective measures fast began to wear on Phoebe's patience.

"I know everyone is doing this to look after me, but it's beginning to rule my life! I can't go anywhere or do anything alone and, while I love you all very much, I NEED isolation sometimes!" Phoebe complained over dinner with her sisters. Paige had asked who was going to take her to work tomorrow as she had an early morning assignment and that had been enough to set her off.

"I know, Pheebs, and while we also love you very much, it's getting on our nerves, too. But it's just a precaution until we find out who was behind that attack," Piper reminded her gently.

"Piper, there are always going be demons after me, particularly now that I have this little guy growing inside of me. It won't stop after he's born, either. They'll keep coming and I'll have to be there to protect him. It's my responsibility and while I really appreciate your help and concern, I can't let you nanny me for the next eighteen years, because that's how long we're going to be on the hot list for demon attacks."

"Which is all the more reason you should have stayed here. Raising this child among a family of good witches---"

"Would have made no difference," Phoebe interrupted her older sister. "This manor has seen more demon attacks than I can count and with TWO magical babies inside it's going to be like the Mecca for demonic assaults."

"Phoebe's got a point," Paige sighed. "We've got to achieve a balance. We can't let the threat of evil constantly dominate our lives. It's going to drive us all insane, otherwise."

Piper sighed and speared some cauliflower with her fork. "Believe me, I'm all for living normal lives as best we can, but this is such a dangerous period of time and I just don't want to see Phoebe or her baby getting hurt."

"It's a dangerous time for you too, Piper," Phoebe reminded. Piper's head snapped up at her statement. Phoebe was looking cold and unkind when she said: "The child of a Charmed one and a white-lighter is bound to attract some demonic attention as well. You should concentrate on your own threats." The icy gleam in her eye vanished and Phoebe immediately looked apologetic. "I'm sorry, that came out way harsher than I meant it."

"I hope so, because it was really uncalled for!" Piper said crossly. "This discussion is about YOU and your baby, not mine!"

"The discussion is about how we're letting the threat of evil in our lives take control," Phoebe countered coolly.

"Hey hey hey, what's gotten into you two?" Paige intervened. "One moment you're talking normally the next you're growling and snarling at each other! Look, let's just deal with the immediate problem at hand and you can sort out your own issues with one another later."

Piper glared at Phoebe a moment before turning to her half-sister. "Right. Then what do you suggest we do?"

Paige looked at the table as she struggled for words. "I...think that, for the meantime, Phoebe should be extra careful. I don't think she should be alone for long periods of time anywhere. However, as she says, she does need her own space and moments of solitude so, maybe she should get like a magical panic button, or a beeper or something, so she can easily and instantly contact either Cole or Leo, or us, if she gets into trouble."

There was a short silence at the table and Paige looked up to regard the expressions on her sisters' faces. Both looked thoughtful.

"A beeper sounds good," Phoebe said eventually. "I could have one attached to me and my car, so I can at least drive home in peace."

"Yeah! Already that affords a freedom," Paige enthused.

"What do you think, Piper?" Phoebe asked a little tetchily.

"Whatever works for you," Piper replied evenly and stood up. She gathered up the plates and left the room in quiet fury.

Paige sighed and looked at Phoebe earnestly. "I don't know what's going on between you, but it's really upsetting Piper. It needs to stop. You two need each other right now."

"I don't need anyone but my son and---" Phoebe began but stopped short, a confused look coming into her eyes.

"You and who?" Paige pressed, managing to contain her irritation. She could sense there was something amiss in Phoebe's behaviour and she had a small hunch as to what might be causing it.

Phoebe stared at her unseeingly for a few seconds, then shook her head. "Never mind. Forget I said anything." She stood up and started heading for the exit.

"Hey, where do you think you're going? You're supposed to wait until Cole gets back from work," Paige called after her.

"It's five to nine. I'll last five minutes in the penthouse alone," Phoebe said as she disappeared around the corner.

Paige frowned as she got up and chased after her. "Wait, how're you going to get there immediately? Don't you need one of us to drive you there..."

She stood staring at the spot where Phoebe should have been. She was gone. She had to have shimmered.

"Damnit! She's not supposed to use her baby's powers like that!" she cursed. She didn't like the idea of her sister using a demonic form of travel one bit.

"What'd she do now?" came Piper's irritable voice from the kitchen. Paige closed her eyes and groaned.

* * *

"Whoa!"

Cole nearly tripped over his briefcase when his wife suddenly appeared just a foot away from him.

"Phoebe! What are you---"

"Have you just got in?" she asked him, face blank and emotionless.

"Yes. Did you just...shimmer here?"

Phoebe suddenly lunged forward and hugged him. "Mmmm. Feels good to be in your arms."

Cole blinked and tentatively put his arms around her. "What's going on? I thought you were going to resist using the baby's powers as much as possible."

"Tell that to him. I so much as get upset and think of you and poof! Here I am. If I get upset, he gets upset and the first person we both think of is you."

"That's...sweet," he said slowly. He pulled out of the hug and looked at her searchingly. "But why are you upset?"

Phoebe's content smile vanished and she sighed. "Oh, Piper and I weren't really seeing eye to eye at dinner."

"Hmm, you and Piper have been getting on each other's nerves a lot, lately. Maybe two hormonal witches in one room is a recipe for conflict."

"She's just narrow-minded sometimes and it gets to me," Phoebe declared. "It's like everything revolves around my son and I and she forgets that she has her own baby to focus on."

"Phoebe, she's only looking out for you, and I hardly think she's forgetting her own responsibilities. In fact, I think her concern for our son stems from her own about her child. She just wants you to take care."

Phoebe rolled her eyes and turned to the sofa on her left. She sank down into it while rubbing her temples. "There's only so much care I can take! Cole, I can't keep living under all these over-protective measures. It's making me feel trapped and depressed."

"I know," he said quietly. He started to say more but was interrupted by the shrill ring of the telephone. "I'll get that," he told her as she made to get up. He picked up the newspaper rolled through the handle of his briefcase and offered it to her. "Here, read something to take your mind off things and calm you down." She took it and he left to answer the phone.

She'd barely opened it when she received a premonition. Her vision was of a man leaving what looked like the local press house through a backdoor. He was looking nervous and hurrying to a motorcycle a few meters away. A demon shimmered behind him and threw a fireball at him, turning him to ash. The premonition ended.

Phoebe gasped and clutched at her chest, heart pounding. The moment she's felt the split-second drowsy sensation she experienced at the onset of the dream-like visions, she'd felt panicked. She feared she was about to have another short-hand premonition of something terrible happening to her. While it had lasted longer than her last premonition, she wasn't entirely sure if the event was just about to happen or was going to occur later that night.

She looked across the room and saw that Cole was deep in discussion with someone. He caught sight of her and his demeanour changed to one of concern. "I'll call you back," he said abruptly and put the phone down. "Phoebe, what's wrong?" he asked, walking briskly over to her.

"P-premonition," she stammered.

"Of what? Where?"

Phoebe took a moment to shake off the fright and composed herself. "Of a man, outside the press house. He was killed by a demon who just appeared behind him. I think it's going to happen _really _soon."

"Why, was it a short--"

"I dunno! Well, I don't think so... But it just felt so urgent! Cole, someone has to save that man!"

"It's okay, I'll take you to your sisters and we can all go togeth---"

"No!" she found herself exclaiming. The next few words she spoke were entirely against her will. It felt as if someone was speaking through her. "No, we don't need them. We can go together. Right now."

Cole frowned, confused. "But Phoebe, your sisters---"

"There's no time! I know where the press house is. If I tell you, will you shimmer us there?" she asked.

"Yes, but what if we can't fight this demon? We don't know how powerful he is," Cole said, flustered.

"If we can't fight him we'll shimmer out of there, although I doubt there's a demon tough enough to face the three of us," Phoebe stated confidently.

"I don't know about this, Phoebe..." Cole mumbled uncertainly.

"You're either on my side or you're against me, Cole. You choose," she said hotly.

Cole stared at her intently for a few tense moments before he said: "Where is this place?"

* * *

"See ya later, Frank!"

Frank waved half-heartedly to his colleague as he left his workplace. Demon he may be, but he was also half human and he preferred to live in a house above ground. He quite liked his job. He only worked part-time due to the eventful life he led, but it appealed to his industrious side and so he tried as best as he could to keep up appearances. He wasn't rude or nasty to any of his co-workers, although he didn't care for them, either.

It occurred to him, as he stepped out the back door into the narrow alley he was so used to parking his bike in, that considering he was on a hit list of a powerful demon he really should have parked in a more public area. These dark, dank alleyways were always good places to kill hapless innocents, as he knew from experience. So it was with much trepidation that he started his walk to his motorcycle several meters away.

He was just a few feet from his ride home when two people appeared out of thin air in front of him. He gasped and staggered back.

"Duck!" the woman shouted and he instantly did so because the man standing next to her was on the verge of hurtling an energy ball. He heard a bloodcurdling cry from behind and he looked over his shoulder to see a demon he recognized hitting the back wall with a burning patch over his chest. The next thing he heard were the running footfalls of the couple as they advanced on Gerald. It was then that Frank took a good look at them. He was shocked to identify them as none other than the pregnant Charmed one and Belthazar in his human form.

"Looks like a high-voltage energy ball wasn't enough to toast him," Belthazar observed.

"Give him a few more and if that doesn't knock him out I will," the witch said icily.

Gerald had just climbed to his feet only to have to dodge three energy balls. He conjured one himself and threw it at Belthazar. It was fast and perfectly aimed, but it did not hit its target because as it left his hand, an orange force field came from the witch's bulging midsection and deflected the ball. Frank watched in awe as part of the force field narrowed to a point and shot out, zapping Gerald right in the chest. With a scream of agony, Gerald exploded in a blaze of dark red flames.

"Blazing hell!" he exclaimed, staring wide-eyed at the place where Gerald had been.

"Are you all right?" came a female voice and he looked up at the Charmed one now standing over him.

"I...I'm fine... Thank you," he stuttered, regarding her warily.

She smiled and offered a hand to him. He backed away from her and scrambled to his feet, remembering that the Seer had mentioned her child had an evil-revealing power. The last thing he wanted was to be forced to convert to his rather unattractive demonic form. To cover his action, he played the dumb, frightened mortal. "Wh-who are you?" he asked, still backing away.

"Guardian angels," Belthazar said quickly and grabbed the witch's left arm gently. "Phoebe, we should go."

Frank tried not to laugh at the demon's first statement. Instead, he said: "I won't tell anyone. Thank you again, I'm...I'm shocked but grateful."

Phoebe continued to smile at him. "We're just glad we got here in time." She faced her partner. "Okay, let's get out of here." The two shimmered away.

Frank stared at the spot they'd been standing on, mentally digesting all that had happened. Gerald had tried to kill him and they had appeared in time to stop him. Phoebe had not reacted like she knew who he was. How had this happened? He was no innocent and that was who the witches saved. It was then that he began to realize how this had been set up. "Seer," he growled.

* * *

Phoebe patted her hands together, content with her performance. It took her a little while to realize Cole was glaring at her.

"What?" she asked with a frown.

"You," he said flatly.

"What about me?"

"You've been acting really strangely Phoebe. It was uncharacteristic of you to go rushing off into a vanquish like that without your sisters, without even being prepared! Again you relied on our son protecting the both of us!"

"I did not! I was fully prepared to fight that demon with my own powers. I can't control what junior impulsively decides to do in a hostile situation."

"Which is exactly it!" Cole cried, throwing up his arms for emphasis. "He shouldn't BE in a hostile situation! We're supposed to be shielding HIM from harm, not the other way around!"

"Cole!" Phoebe whined.

"Don't give me that! He's my child too and I won't stand to watch you recklessly put him at risk like that! Phoebe, you know _better _than this! Why have you been acting so carelessly lately?"

Phoebe's eyes flashed angrily and she pointed accusingly at him, but no words came out to match her temper. She trembled and stared at him, the anger being replaced with confusion. "I...I..." she stammered. "I don't know," she ended miserably. She lowered her hand and looked down, shaking her head. "Cole I'm sorry...I've been really battling for control of my own actions. I constantly feel like I'm at war with myself, or a force within myself that wants to do one thing when I often want to do the other." A tear dropped from her downcast face.

Cole was silent a moment as he contemplated what she'd just said. "Maybe that's exactly what's happening. Maybe your desires are being confused and conflicted with..."

"The baby's?" she finished, looking up at him with wide, watery eyes. He nodded.

"Is that really possible?" she asked, voice trembling.

"Yeah, I think so. If he's capable of sensing and fighting evil from the womb then he's probably capable of controlling your thoughts, to a degree. As it is he's given you and Piper premonitions of his."

Phoebe nodded slowly, a look of understanding coming into her eyes. "It makes sense..." Then the desperation returned and she squeezed her eyes shut, tears now streaming down her cheeks. "Oh Cole...I'm so scared. I feel like I'm losing control of everything."

Cole felt a strong pang of pity and sadness and he stepped forward and took her into an embrace. She cried against his shoulder and hugged him tightly.

"Don't worry, we'll get through this," he soothed. "We just have to start thinking ahead, make contingency plans and keep our wits about us."

Phoebe stared forlornly out the window, still holding him closely, and whispered: "But what if that's not enough?"

* * *


End file.
